Thomas Pappas, Former Ambassador

OBITUARIES

BOSTON -- A funeral for Thomas A. Pappas, a retired Greek-American businessman and former U.S. ambassador to Greece, was conducted on Saturday at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England.

Mr. Pappas, who was 89, died on Wednesday at his home in Palm Beach after a long illness.

For many years a Republican fund-raiser, he was a friend of President Eisenhower, whom he served as envoy to Greece, President Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew. He served on a number of national, regional and state GOP committees.

Mr. Pappas and his brother, John, turned their father`s small Greek grocery in Boston`s North End into a liquor and food import distributorship and branched out to found Esso Pappas, an industrial complex in Greece.

In 1974, Mr. Pappas was called to testify before the Senate Watergate committee about his suspected role in raising money to help several of the original Watergate defendants. Published reports said Mr. Pappas` name appeared in taped White House conversations. He strongly denied any part in the matter.